A model has vowed to rebuild her career after she was mauled by a dog on a New Year's Eve camping trip which left her 'looking like the Joker'.
Suzel Mackintosh, 23, was horrifically attacked by a Staffordshire-pit bull crossbreed that belonged to a mutual friend.
Doctors gave her emergency plastic surgery, but her injuries now mean that she is unable to lift her upper lip due to muscle damage. She initially feared that it would prevent her from pursuing the career she dreamed of but she's motivated to make sure it doesn't.
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Suzel told LADbible: "I was camping with friends and a mutual friend brought his dog down - he told me the dog was super friendly so I was playing with him all day.
"After we celebrated the count down, I went to the car to get something and saw the dog in there, I gave him a pat and he jumped up and bit me on the face shaking me, I fell back to the floor and felt the holes in my face."
Suzel, is originally from Perth in Australia and was visiting friends in the remote camping region of Pemberton, before moving back to London.
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She said: "I knew how badly damaged my face was. I thought no one would ever love me again and worse that all my dreams of being a model were over."
Suzel is now hoping to relaunch her career following the savage attack and has learned to ignore the insults from people.
She has received comments such as 'the hell is wrong with her lip?' and someone else commented 'too many dicks shoved in on a Friday night'.
She continued: "I was so depressed and went to hospital where I had to undergo plastic surgery. It was my friends and family around me that supported me during a dark time, they convinced me I had so much to live for.
"So I flew back to London and still pushed to do what I love and not let anyone's negative comments get me down.
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"I have a lot more strength behind me as I will not only do it for myself but for anyone else struggling with the same insecurities.
"I was planning to come back to London and contacted agencies but with my lip being paralysed I know it won't get me into the modelling I dreamed of doing.
"I wanted to model for ASOS, Boohoo.com, PrettyLittleThing. I plan on doing all I can to get as close to this as possible. I will keep pushing and trying my hardest to make it possible so others can feel that nothing is impossible."
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In terms of the dog owner, Suzel hasn't had any support from him. She said: "I only heard from him once after three days with one message saying he felt bad but his dog wasn't vicious.
"I've not heard from him since, nor had any support."
Last month a woman was filmed being attacked by a pit bull on a subway carriage in New York City. The footage shows the animal latching onto the foot of a 22-year-old woman.
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Plenty of passengers come to her aid while others shout abuse at the dog's owner. Apparently the victim was unhappy when the owner brought the dog on the carriage and put it on a seat.
The woman allegedly pushed the dog off the seat and that's what sparked the whole ordeal.
Topics: Dog, Community, UK, Animals, Australia, London